In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 332 The Mi-24 crashes; Xie Wei's military command abilities continue to rise in Yitzhak's eyes.

"What do the Iraqis mean by this? Are they planning to put us under house arrest?"

Lin Baiyu's face looked very grim.

Yitzhak's youth officer corps began to assemble, preparing to move towards Khorramshahr. After searching for opportunities near Abadan, the technical training team moved from Basra to Baghdad.

Although they were treated to good food and drink every day, the Iraqis did not allow them to leave the hotel at will. They needed Iraqi permission to go out and had to be accompanied by fully armed security personnel.

Lin Baiyu wanted to go to the embassy to report Feng Ke's intelligence to the country, but he had no way to do so.

The technical team was very dissatisfied.

Feng Ke's movements were not restricted, and he wandered around Baghdad every day accompanied by Tamara Kamal.

That day, Tamara accompanied Feng Ke for a stroll outside.

“Honey, we’ve visited the Babylonian ruins, the National Museum, and traditional Arab markets these past few days, but we haven’t seen any Chinese restaurants…”

Although the two were very affectionate together, Feng Ke, who was already on guard, determined Tamara's true identity through observation.

The reason I go out every day is that since I'll be living in Baghdad in the future, I need to get to know the city.

Ancient Babylon was once a glorious civilization, just like China; however, the word "ancient" has now been added to Babylon's name.

"Chinese restaurant?"

Tamara was taken aback. Could it be that the Chinese food prepared by the hotel chef was not good?
"No, it's delicious! But China is a vast country, and different regions have different eating habits... The most famous are the eight major cuisines... Each has its own unique characteristics..."

As Feng Ke spoke, her eyes became unfocused.

MMP!

He's a member of one of the eight major cuisines of China, but he's never even tasted the classic representative dishes of Shandong cuisine, which is from his own region!
I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat it again in this lifetime.

He can be regarded as a "traitor" by others, but he himself cannot be a real traitor.

Therefore, he needed to ask for instructions, or at least the message needed to be sent back.

"homesick?"

"I want to eat Sichuan food from my hometown... the really spicy kind..."

Feng Ke doesn't actually eat spicy food.

There was no other way. Before leaving the country, his class monitor gave him the emergency contact location—Sadr City, the commercial heart of Baghdad. Shortly after its establishment in 1959, a British citizen from Hong Kong opened the first Chinese restaurant there, and several other Chinese restaurants followed.

Shuxianglou.

"This is a long-established Chinese restaurant in Sadr City, which opened in 1964. It is the second Chinese restaurant in Sadr City, specializing in Sichuan cuisine."

Standing in front of the antique-style four-story Chinese building, Feng Ke was somewhat dazed.

Tamara, who was standing next to him, said softly, "Business here is very good."

"Boss, do you have Erjingtiao twice-cooked pork?"

As soon as Feng Ke entered, he started calling out.

Fortunately, it's still early, so there aren't many customers yet.

"Erjingtiao twice-cooked pork? Comrade, we are an authentic Sichuan restaurant."

The lobby manager, who was in his early forties, had his hair slicked back, and was wearing a white shirt and a waistcoat. His eyes lit up when he heard this, and he then came forward to greet him.

"Authentic my foot! There's not even any Erjingtiao twice-cooked pork!"

Feng Ke rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"Hey comrade, it's still winter. The Erjingtiao peppers haven't been bred yet. We'll have to wait until it gets warmer to eat them. Eating spicy food in hot weather helps to dispel dampness and heat."

"Too……"

Feng Ke was stunned for a moment. What the hell was that street code the class monitor gave him?
Tamara, standing nearby, didn't know what Erjingtiao vegetables were, but she did know that the reason Shuxianglou was doing so well was because they had bought a piece of land in the suburbs of Baghdad and were growing vegetables from China.

"Any recommendations?"

Feng Ke asked.

Soon, the lobby manager recommended a few options.

All the dishes were extremely spicy, so spicy that Feng Ke's eyes welled up with tears.

In Tamara's eyes, Feng Ke cried because he was eating hometown food in a foreign land and missed home so much...

Throughout the process, Feng Ke did not have much contact with the restaurant staff. When leaving, Gao Du said that the food was very authentic and he would recommend it to his colleagues.

He then went back to the hotel with Tamara.

"What do you mean?"

Lin Baiyu frowned as he looked at the envelope Feng Ke handed him.

"Have the Iraqis accompany you to Shuxianglou tomorrow and give this letter to the lobby manager... You should be very familiar with the confidentiality rules."

Feng Ke did not explain.

Turn around and leave.

"This……"

Looking at Feng Ke's back, Lin Baiyu was shocked—Feng Ke was on a mission!
And it's the kind of task that will ruin my reputation!
"By the way, continue to despise me if you want to, and be even harsher when you need to criticize me..."

Just as Lin Baiyu was in a daze, Feng Ke, who was at the door, suddenly turned around and whispered to Lin Baiyu.

Then he tore his clothes and slapped himself across the face with a loud "smack".

Her cheeks were visibly swollen.

Blood started flowing from her nose.

"..."

Lin Baiyu was completely dumbfounded.

Damn it!
tough enough.

"Damn it, I recommended you some authentic hometown food I ate, and you didn't accept it and even hit me! I'm not done with you! Love is a matter of personal freedom! My marriage is my own decision..."

Feng Ke started cursing loudly into the room.

"You betrayed your country for personal gain and wealth, and you make it sound so noble here! From the day you were admitted to university, you became a citizen of the country! Everything you do must be approved by the organization..."

Lin Baiyu also realized what was happening.

But he could only suppress his pain and still manage to utter the words "traitor."

The argument between the two immediately attracted the attention of others. Tamara rushed forward to stop Lin Baiyu from rushing out, and the other training group members, although disgusted by Feng Ke's behavior, also tried to mediate.

It's disgraceful for a country to have conflicts in front of foreigners.

When you're out in the world, your personal behavior reflects on the dignity of your country!

······
After capturing Khorramshahr last year through arduous street fighting, the Persians have formed a three-sided encirclement of Abadan, the largest port in Persia and one of the world's largest oil refining centers with an annual refining capacity of 3000 million tons, which has further exacerbated the Persian economy.

As early as the beginning of January, Hormenis disregarded the military leadership's suggestion to replenish and train troops first and launch a counterattack after spring, and pressured the military to launch an immediate counterattack.

Thus, "Operation Howezee" began hastily, just like history.

The Persians did not have a large number of M60 Patton tanks to begin with; their armored forces were mainly composed of Chieftain tanks and M48s, which were no match for the Iraqi T-55s and T-62s.

Operation Howeze was carried out by the Iranian 88th Armored Brigade. To this end, the 88th Armored Brigade absorbed some troops from the 92nd Armored Division and transferred two M60 Patton tank battalions from other units, expanding itself into the 88th Armored Division with 62 M60 tanks and 280 Chieftain tanks. To consolidate its forces, the 88th Armored Division, unlike its historical counterpart, did not launch its counterattack in early January, but rather a month later, on February 5th, the Chinese New Year.

Although the 88th Armored Division had undergone training and integration in a very short time, it was already quite an achievement that the tank units, which came from three different detachments, could be uniformly deployed. Preparations before departure were still very inadequate; even basic secrecy measures were not taken.

342 tanks, along with numerous armored vehicles, wheeled vehicles towing anti-tank guns and howitzers, slowly made their way over ten kilometers toward the target area, protected by only 16 Cobra attack helicopters.

Iraqi communications intelligence intercepted the intelligence after the convoy set off and directly notified the Iraqi 9th Armored Division, which was directly opposite the 88th Armored Division.

按照伊拉克装甲师编制，第9装甲师2个坦克旅、1个装甲旅共计160辆坦克跟约40辆BMP-1步兵战车。

Faced with an enemy force twice its size, the 9th Armored Division directly requested reinforcements from the Southern Front Command.

"The General Staff's analysis suggests that, given the enemy's 88th Armored Division's advancing speed, they will encounter it by tomorrow afternoon. The closest unit to the 9th Armored Division is the 3rd Armored Division, which will be supported by a T-62 tank brigade. With 240 tanks from three brigades relying on fortifications and surrounding artillery support, they can completely rout the enemy!"

The staff officer reported to the commander.

"Send the young officer corps to provide support! Haven't they been looking for an opportunity to fight? Let's see the combat effectiveness of the young officer corps that His Excellency the President has placed high hopes on."

The frontline commander rejected the staff officer's proposal.

The Young Officers Corps has generated considerable resentment not only among the Iraqi National Army but also among other units of the Republican Guard—their salaries are double those of other units, and the president even built houses specifically for members of the Young Officers Corps in Baghdad…and they receive priority access to all kinds of equipment.

More importantly, this is a training regiment of the Iraqi army!

"The Youth Officers' Corps only has one tank battalion with 35 tanks!"

The staff officer was getting anxious.

The 88th Armored Division has more than 342 tanks, although most of them are outdated Chieftain tanks.

"They also have a self-propelled artillery battalion, and an armored battalion with 35 advanced infantry fighting vehicles! I heard they also have a tactical missile support battalion!"

The commander remained calm.

The staff officer tried to stop it.

"The president has ordered them to have the best equipment and the best treatment. If they cannot demonstrate combat effectiveness commensurate with their treatment, then they are not worth expecting anything from! The president is preparing to expand the Republican Guard!"

The person who could serve as the frontline commander must be a close confidant of Saddam Hussein.

Even his confidants were dissatisfied with the special status of the Young Officers Corps—the president even personally called to request the cooperation of the Young Officers Corps on the southern front!

Upon hearing this, the staff officer knew that there was no way to stop it.

Hopefully, the young officers won't become too arrogant and suffer heavy losses.

Hramshahr.

Southeast suburbs.

The temporary base of the Youth Officers Corps.

This place is only a few kilometers away from the besieged city of Abadan.

After arriving at their base, the troops hardly stayed in one place, constantly sending armored vehicles around to lure out Abadan's defending forces.

Unfortunately, the armored forces stationed in Abadan were like tortoises, refusing to show themselves no matter how much they were provoked—they were terrified by the anti-tank rocket launchers in the hands of the Iraqi infantry besieging Abadan.

"Colonel, a telegram from headquarters! Orders my unit to advance north to support the 9th Armored Division!"

Just as Yitzhak was worrying about how to find the first opportunity to fight, the communications officer reported to him.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yitzhak became excited upon hearing that the Iranian army had dispatched an armored division with 342 tanks.

"Order all units to depart in half an hour! Armed helicopters to advance 50 kilometers and search for enemy tracks. Reconnaissance vehicles to depart immediately..."

Yitzhak then issued a series of orders.

The once quiet temporary camp instantly became lively.

Three Mi-24 attack helicopters parked next to the air defense position quickly took off and headed north.

During his stay in China, Yitzhak took many opportunities to learn from Chinese troops. Even when stationed at his base, surrounded by numerous friendly forces, he would immediately fill up his vehicle with gas and prepare his anti-aircraft missiles for launch.

That's why he dared to order them to depart in half an hour.

Other Iraqi forces would be considered lucky if they could break camp within two hours.

Seeing that his troops were executing orders more and more efficiently, Yitzhak realized that Shewe, that technical guy, had very high military command skills.

The urge to lure Xie Wei to Iraq grew stronger every day.

Skilled in technological research and development, and also possesses strong military command capabilities...

"Communications company, maintain constant contact with the long-range artillery battalion and keep them ready for launch!"

"Colonel, should we contact the 3rd Armored Division?"

"Need not!"

Yitzhak shook his head. "Who will be in charge then?"

The headquarters only provided support, but did not say that the young officer corps should be placed under the command of the 3rd Armored Division.

Due to its organizational structure, the Young Officers Corps operates differently from the rest of the Iraqi army.

That evening, the armed helicopters of both sides carrying out reconnaissance missions met in the air. The young officers, eager to make a name for themselves and get promoted, reported the discovery of the enemy's tracks and then pounced directly on the Persian Cobra armed helicopters.

Iranian pilots also rushed forward.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Before even reaching the range of the Mi-24 attack helicopter's cannon, the Cobra attack helicopter had already launched AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles mounted on its weapon pylons.

"Missile attack! Take evasive action!"

The members of the young officers' corps were eager to make a name for themselves, but they were not fools.

Upon seeing the enemy launch a missile, the three Mi-24s almost simultaneously and rapidly descended to a lower altitude while turning around and fleeing to the rear.

At a distance of less than 5 kilometers, the AIM-9 caught up with the Mi-24 in a very short time.

"Swish swish~"

As the pilot rapidly climbed, bringing the Mi-24 almost vertical to the ground, the infrared decoy flares carried by the Mi-24 were quickly launched.

"Boom~Boom~Boom~"

Infrared decoy flares detonated the incoming missiles in succession, but one AIM-9 directly hit a Mi-24 attack helicopter.

"Boom~"

A dazzling firework burst open, and the Mi-24 transformed into a fireball, with its parts rapidly scattering in all directions.

The high-speed flying helicopter parts directly pierced the fuel tank of a Mi-24 that had just been leveled not far away.

Another AIM-9 has arrived.

"Boom~"

The second Mi-24 attack helicopter was hit by a missile.

The pilot of the remaining Mi-24 didn't even look at his comrade who had been hit, and fled frantically.

Upon initial contact, the youth officer corps lost two Mi-24 attack helicopters.

(End of this chapter)